Lubricating oil



' 3 eral oil alone.

Patented J ne 1937' UNITED STATES PATENT. O'FFlCE LUBBICATIING on.

Leo Libertlison, New York, N. Y 'assignor, by mesne assignments, to Standard Oil Development Company No Drawing.

Application 2,

Serial No. 746,515 5 (01. 87-9) This invention relates to improved lubricating oils and a process of preparing same, and especiallyto lubricating oils having .a low pour point, and being substantially non-emulsifiable,

5 Lubricating oils, and especially lubricating oils containing wax or waxy hydrocarbons in solutiontend to have a high pour point. In the case i of lubricating oils containing wax or waxy hydrocarbons, the latter compounds have a tendency to precipitate when the oil is cooled, thereby causing the oil to set or gel, and causing the oil to flow sluggishly ornot at all. Lubricating oil distillates derived entirely or principally from o t the distillation of so-called' Pennsylvania crude Y oil belong generally to the waxy class mentioned.

It is known that the addition of small amounts.

of'voltol (an oil which has been polymerized by the action of a silent electrical discharge) to a lubricating oil'will lower the normal pour point of such oil. However, the presence of such voltol in lubricating oils is in many cases disadvantageous in one important respect, viz; the tendency of sucha mixture to permanently emulsify with water. When such a mixture is used as a lubri- 2 cating oil in apparatus where it comes in contact with water, for example, in a turbine or in i a crank-case, the mixture forms an emulsion with" thewater, which raises thepour point otthe lubricant and gives'poor lubrication.

This tendency to emulsify is due that voltol is in reality a blend of mineral and vegetable oil, such blend'having been found to be infinitely more susceptible to polymerization by means of a silent electrical discharge than min- The mineral oil can be designated as the unsaponifiable component andfthe vegetable oil as the saponifiable component of the original voltol.

I have discovered that 40 fat constituent (the non-emulsiflable constituent) of voltol be separated from the voltol, such constituent may be added to a lubricating oil without the disadvantages attending the use of the original voltol. This may be understood from the behavior or the so modified oil by subjecting it to the well known A. S. T. M. demulsibility A test. In this test steam is conducted into a definite amount of oil and permitted to condense for a definite period of time. The mixture of oil and condensate should then separate into two tion' name of Electrion and a second, German voltol,

to the fact n the mineral oil and layers within a specified'time of not more than ten minutes.

Two different types of voltol, differing only in i the relative proportions of mineral oil to vegetable oil, were treated according to this invenone a Belgian voltolsold under the trade designated End voltol. The physical charac teristics of these two voltols are as follows:'-

Each type of voltol was subjected to -the ac of organic solvents containing less than six carbon atoms such as normal butyl alcohol acetone,

isopropyl alcohol, isoamyl alcohol, dichloroethyl ether, etc.

For example, the voltols were treated with flye volumes of utylalcohol, preferably by countercurrent extraction, until oi-the initial quantity of voltol was extracted. The residue left was a yellow, rubbery, gelatinous substance, diflicultly soluble in mineral oil, but sumciently sorto actas an extremely powerful emulsifying agent.

The butyl alcohol solution of [the residue-freed voltol yields, after removal .orqthe solvent fanoil of the following characteristics as compared with those of the untreated yoltol:

I i-But laleo I h o] eztmt Original voltol 22.1 A. v.1 23.1 A. n1.

1N sec. 733 sec. 25 F. 40" F.

410 F. 410 F. 410 F. 465 F. 2) yellow 8 20 yellow 5 red red 54'. mg mg mg V300 30.2 m: 35.2 Baponiflcation No 63.5 a 74.7

tion

60 difference I believe confirms my is the higher molecular weight polymers which -fat constituent) to be added will vary from 02 Ordinary voltol and unemulsiflable voltol according to this invention were added to lubricating oils having the following characteristics:

An S. A. E. 40 blend oi Pennsylvania residual and neutral oil having:

Specific gravity 28 A. P. I.

Viscosity (Say) at 210 F.-. 79 sec.

Flash point 450 F.

Fire point 515 F.

Color (Lovibond) 20 yellow 38 ma 5 Pour point F.

when v0.5, 1, 5 and 10% of ordinary voltol were added, the pour points of the mixtures were lowered to 10, 5, 10, and

Specific gravity 29 A. P. I. Viscosity (Say) at 210 F ...4 200-205 sec. Flash point"; 420 E. Fire point Y v 470 F.

' 'Pour' point. 30-35 F. 30

When 0.5, 1, 5.and 10% or ordinary voltol were added, v the pour points or the mixtures were lowered to 5, -5, -..10 and -10 F. respectively,

the other iactors remaining substantially the same. Similar pour point depressing values were minutes, while with unemulsiflable voltol, demulsibility occurred inless than one minute. I 40 A. Pennsy lvania distillate havingz" Speciflc gravity..; 30 A. P. I. Viscosity (Say) at 210 F 145-150- sec. Flash point; 405 F. Fire point; 460 F. Pour point 10 F.

With 0.5, 1,5 and 10%. 01' ordinary voltol, the 3 pour points of the mixtures were lowered to .5,

f 15, -25 and 25 F. respectively, the other tactors remaining substantially the same. Demulsi bility tests of the mixtures .in each case, however, were above ten minutes. With similar amounts of solvent extracted unemulsiflable voltol, similar lowering of the pour points resulted, but in each case demulsibility occurred in less than one minute.

It will be noted that the Saybolt viscosity at 210 F, or the butyl alcohol extract is 103 as against 733 for the original voltol. This striking are responsible for the emulsifying action of voltol. It is the nature of such highly associated molecules, being relatively insoluble, to assume the form of a highly dispersed and swollen colloid thus imparting a high viscosity to the external phase, in this case, the oil, and acts as a power- V ful'emulsiiying agent when-wateris introduced in said external phase.

The amount of solvent extract, (mineral oil and -10 F. respectively, the other factors remaining substantiallythe obtained with similar-amounts of solvent ex-- .tracted unemulsiflable voltol. However, with ordinary voltol, demulsibility tests were over ten ing a pour point theory that it up to 10% of the total and will, in general, be suilicient to produce a reduction in pour test or pour point of from 10 to 50 F. Within these limits the amount added has no appreciable influence on viscosity. For a reduction'% in pour test of about 15 half of 1% is ordinarily sufilcient; and for a reduction of 25 F., say from 25 to 0 F., 1% will ordinarily be sumcient.

My invention includes all lubricating oils containing wax or crystallizable hydrocarbons, and I claim broadly a lubricating oil having a normal pour point and containing voltol free from its emulsion forming constituent, in an amount and potency sumcient to reduce the normal pour point F.', say from 25 to 10 F., one-- of the lubricating oil, the product being substantially non-emulsiflable. By non-emulsiflable I mean the product when subjected to the A. S. T. M." demulsibility test will separate'into two well defined layers in less than ten minutes.

I claim: 1.- A product comprising a lubricating oil having a pour point caused by wax therein, and up to about 10% of a polymerized oil free from the residue insoluble in butyl alcohoLsald polymer-' ized oil being present in potency sufllcient to appreciably lower. the normal pour point of said lubricating oil, said polymerized 011 being prepared by the action of a silent electrical discharge.

2. A product comprising a lubricating oil having a pour point caused by wax therein, and up to about 10% of a polymerized oil free from the residue insoluble in butyl alcohol, said polymerized oil being present in potency sumcient to lower the normal pour point 01' said lubricating oil at least 10- R, said polymerized oil being prepared by the action of a silent electrical discharge.

3. A productcomprising a lubricating oil havcaused by wax therein, and up, to about 10% of the mineral oil and fat constituent oi a polymerized oil tree from the residue insoluble in butyl alcohol, said polymerized oil being present in potency suiilcient to appreciably lower the normal pour point 01' said lubricating oil, said polymerized oil being action oi a silent electrical-discharge, said product being substantially non-emulsiflable. v

4. A product comprising a-lubricating oil having a pour point or at least 10 F. caused by wax prepared. by

therein. and up to about 10% of the mineral oil and vifat constitutent of a polymerized oil free from the residue insoluble in butyl-alcohol, said polymerized oil being present in potency suilicient to lowerthe normal pour point oi said lubrieating oil atleast 10 ,F., said polymerized'oil being prepared by the action 01' a silent electrical discharge, said product non-emulsiflable. 5. A product comprising a petroleum lubricating oil distillate having a pour point of at least 10 caused by wax therein, and up to about 10% 'ot the mineral oil and fat constituent of a polymerized oil free from the residue insoluble in butyl alcohol, said polymerized oil being present in potency suiilcient to lower the normal pour, point 01' said distillate at ieast10 F., said polymerized oil being prepared by the action of asilent elec-. trical discharge, said product being substantially non-emulsiflable.- v

being substantially 

